Critical thinking and education is linked to loss of faith

[Jim B]

after all, who would give ten % of their hard-earned for the Awful Truth?

People who have a giving heart.

 

[Jim B]

While I agree, I like going a step further and saying that all religion is exploitive. There is no mainstream vs. true religion. Faith and critical thinking don’t mix. These theologians have caught onto new ways of evangelizing people by only speaking like an educated person. To the less educated masses, these theologians appear to be experts.

 

[Jim B]

God only owns and judges though with a fragile enough mentality to believe such a thing. Empty threats of how I will bow down and confess/be judged/tremble in the glory of God are far too common. It sounds pretty childish and salty to me because the other person knows they have no power to do so, so they need an imaginary God to judge me after death.

 

[Jim B]

We don’t reject God because we can’t reject something there is no evidence of. It’s like me accusing you of not committing a crime, non-sequitur much? Your argument hinges on the premise that God actually exists. Now I’ve read your mental gymnastics regarding “evidence”, I see what you do. It may work on those less educated and make you appear more knowledgeable than necessary. Either that or Dunning-Krueger syndrome or even both.

The funny part is that despite hoping that believers would be right as a form of giving them the benefit of the doubt, I, for the life of me due to my integrity, cannot stoop as far as being intellectually dishonest to the point of saying God is real just because I wish he is. That’s what you do. You wish your God is real so you start with claiming he is instead of having the humility in admitting that you don’t really know. Instead of saying something like, “God -could- be real, here are the reasons why”, you start with saying “Here is why he is real.” That is not how an honest scientist proceeds.

Case in point: we wish many things to be real. I wouldn’t doubt that you wish you could have a million sitting in your bank account as we speak, yet you would probably have enough humility to admit that you don’t. But when it comes to God, ohhhh boy are you going to apply some mental gymnastics to that one. And even after reading this, it will still slip your mind because the epistemic knowledge just isn’t there. The force of magical thinking outweighs your critical thinking capabilities just a tad.

You sound very similar to the way I used to sound 46 years ago. Then God healed me in the hospital (when the doctors failed) and filled me with His Holy Spirit. I instantly knew -- not believed -- that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit -- are real.

Your "knowledge" would be entertaining and interesting if it wasn't so sad. You sound very much like Paul before He met Jesus on the road and knew that he (Paul) was wrong.

BTW, why are you participating on a Christian forum? Could it be that you are actually searching for the pure truth that Christians have? You wish that God isn't real, so you start with claiming that He isn't instead of having the humility in admitting that you don’t really know.

 

[marks]

We don’t reject God because we can’t reject something there is no evidence of.

The evidence in front of you is creation. Would you like to talk about that? Another evidence is your sense of right and wrong. We can talk about that if you like.

Much love!

 

[The Learner]

Critical thinking led me to the Faith

 

[marks]

Critical thinking led me to the Faith

Actually, me too. It was when I learned about the Bible prophecies. Nothing like them in the world!

Much love!

 

[bbyrd009]

for an example, they were taught to literally believe ppl lived to 900 years old, etc, rather than understanding the spiritual allegory that is likely involved

“millenium”

 

[bbyrd009]

Actually, me too. It was when I learned about the Bible prophecies. Nothing like them in the world!

Much love!

the euphrates drying up is pretty impressive imo, yeh

 

[bbyrd009]

People who have a giving heart.

i dont doubt that you are as qualified as anyone to identify the principle in “storehouse” then, i mean that isnt much of a puzzle

 

[bbyrd009]

We don’t reject God because we can’t reject something there is no evidence of.

Thats likely what an empty room for a holy-of-holies is about
Yah does not exist (“objective evidence”), and does not claim to either, all encoded in the I AM thing i think
What causes to exist does not exist lol, so strange
i do not and surely will not ever agree with your definition of Yah, and ive yet to find two believers who much do

and of course you can reject something there is no evidence of; id ask for a rephrase there i guess
you accept or reject things based upon no objective evidence all the time, do you not
you have feelings, and feelings can be manipulated
you either “believe” that there is a God in some not completely definable perhaps form or you do not
and you either have faith in Him or you do not too, i think?

fortunately we know that even rejecting God with your mouth is irrelevant if you then go on to do the will of YHWH, be you samaritan or centurion or whatever, you are the son of God

Romans 8:14 Lexicon: For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

biblehub.com

 

[bbyrd009]

Faith and critical thinking don’t mix

”like” down to here

Faith and critical thinking dont mix in your present understanding maybe…but really otherwise you have a functional oxymoron eh after all any really critical thinking would quickly lead you to the reality that you understand waaay less than 5% of everything in the universe, and just barely five with the help of our finest minds, einstein and whatnot, ergo you know jack squat, ergo there is as likely to be a God as there isnt, and isnt hydrogen just the handiest bootstrap from nothing to something lol

no idea where that came from but anyway keep on operating without faith for as long as you like imo, but i would make sure i have it defined right at least, since faith in action is really nothing like the religious definition

id agree that religion and critical thinking dont mix, but faith is another matter imo

 

[Gottservant]

Filling your head with dead concepts, is undoubtedly going to leave you bereft of life.

The Lord never promised a particular theory, would get you an exchange for your soul.

"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" - how many of us have committed to a life of this kind of faith?

 

[bbyrd009]

Filling your head with dead concepts, is undoubtedly going to leave you bereft of life.

The Lord never promised a particular theory, would get you an exchange for your soul.

"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" - how many of us have committed to a life of this kind of faith?

yeh, ive tried conscientiously, but the cares of the world sure are compelling, huh
cant imagine how it would be with kids, yikes

Filling your head with dead concepts, is undoubtedly going to leave you bereft of life

how to recog the dead concepts though

 

[Romanov2488]

Critical thinking led me to the Faith

Faith in God is the same as having faith in anything else that’s lacking evidence. The Christian God can be replaced with any god from any other religion and those believers also claim that they have faith. It’s funny there’s many others like you, except that the type of god differs, and they’re just as convinced as you.

 

[Romanov2488]

You sound very similar to the way I used to sound 46 years ago. Then God healed me in the hospital (when the doctors failed) and filled me with His Holy Spirit. I instantly knew -- not believed -- that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit -- are real.

Your "knowledge" would be entertaining and interesting if it wasn't so sad. You sound very much like Paul before He met Jesus on the road and knew that he (Paul) was wrong.

BTW, why are you participating on a Christian forum? Could it be that you are actually searching for the pure truth that Christians have? You wish that God isn't real, so you start with claiming that He isn't instead of having the humility in admitting that you don’t really know.

Theres a tendency to become more conservative with age and more likely to believe in God as a result. For me it’s the opposite, I used to be extremely conservative and I only become more liberal with age. There’s also many people who make it through the hospital without attributing it to God. I get that there’s many things even doctors can’t explain-at least yet but that doesn’t mean it’s automatically God.

Even though this is a Christian forum, it is the non-Christian section.

And I don’t wish that God is not real, nor do I claim that he isn’t. I am only saying that there’s no evidence of one. To steelman your argument, we didn’t have evidence of black holes 2,000 years ago but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there, we eventually found out.

My ultimate position on the existence of God is: I don’t know. How many Christians can you find saying that they don’t know? It takes humility to admit that you don’t know.

 

[Romanov2488]

Filling your head with dead concepts, is undoubtedly going to leave you bereft of life.

The Lord never promised a particular theory, would get you an exchange for your soul.

"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" - how many of us have committed to a life of this kind of faith?

Dead concepts, you mean logic and reason? Concepts are tools that help us survive. Dead concepts have done more for us than empty beliefs have.

Science has flown us to the moon, religion has flown us into buildings.

 

[amadeus]

well, dunno about imaginary, i would understand the intent in The fool has said in his heart "There is no God," which may just mean "you are assuming something as fact that you cannot prove," but yeh religious ppl (which Jesus even clowned) are like the last ones on earth i would goto for Bible understanding

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matt 6:33-34

 

[amadeus]

“millenium”

This is likely where the answer is, for Methuselah, who according to scripture came closest in the flesh [969 years, Gen 5:27] came short. Living by faith, if one cannot understand it fully without God showing him the Way, who can make it?

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Rom 3:23

And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Rev 20:6

 

[Jim B]

Theres a tendency to become more conservative with age and more likely to believe in God as a result. For me it’s the opposite, I used to be extremely conservative and I only become more liberal with age. There’s also many people who make it through the hospital without attributing it to God. I get that there’s many things even doctors can’t explain-at least yet but that doesn’t mean it’s automatically God.

Even though this is a Christian forum, it is the non-Christian section.

And I don’t wish that God is not real, nor do I claim that he isn’t. I am only saying that there’s no evidence of one. To steelman your argument, we didn’t have evidence of black holes 2,000 years ago but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there, we eventually found out.

My ultimate position on the existence of God is: I don’t know. How many Christians can you find saying that they don’t know? It takes humility to admit that you don’t know.

Thanks for the honest reply. That clears a lot up.

Perhaps you're not familiar with Hebrews 11:1...

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." KJV
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see." NET Bible
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." NRSVue

These words clearly state that Christians do know. Being sure of what we hope for. The assurance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen.

This has nothing to do with the humility of not knowing. The fact is that Christians do know.